Sink and similar structure and method of constructing the same



pt- 25, 1934- r s. BLICKMAN 1,974,794

SINK AND SIMILAR STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME FiledJuly 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N V EN TOR. 5401 5A m r/v/fl/v Sept.25, 1934. s. BLICKMAN ,9

SINK AND SIMILAR STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF CONSTRUO'HNG THE SAIIE FiledJuly 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. \fiflaz 51 mmvmv nyg iATTORNEY,

Patented Sept. 25, 1934 UNITED STATES SINK AND S I M I L A R STRUCTUREAND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME Saul Blickman, New York, N. Y.

Application July 26, 1932, Serial No. 624,839

14 Claims.

, My invention relates to sinks and similar receptacles and a method ofconstructing the same from sheet metal. 9

Ingeneral, the purposes of the invention are to provide a sink, washtub, or other receptacle made of sheet metal under such a constructionand in such a manner as to obtain an extremely durable and nicelyfinished article with a conservation of materials and labor. Thespecific features whereby these purposes are accomplished will behereinafter pointed out, but before proceeding with the detaileddescription of myinvention and articles constructed in accordancetherewith, and in order that my invention may be better understood, Iwill refer briefly to some of the sheet metal receptacle structuresknown prior to my invention. It has been proposed to unite blanks bysolders to form a base for a porcelain covering and so that a smoothmetallic surface having the appearance of a single body of metalthroughout is not of importance, because the porcelain conceals thejoints. In other forms receptacles have been made in rectangular form,from a single sheet of metal out according to a definite patternwhere-by portions of the sheet may be folded along definite lines andwelded together. The receptacles of this type have sharp corners andedges and the cutting of the blank in accordance with the patternnecessarily produces a waste of material due to the large amount ofmaterial cut away in forming the blank. Still other forms have beenprovided from blanks, one of which afforded the bottom and two oppositeupstanding walls and to which two separate sheets were welded in placeto provide the other walls and complete the receptacle. All of theselast types, with which I am familiar, are characterized by sharp cornerswhich in some instances are made by chamfering the abutting edges of thesheets ,to provide a mitred joint.

The objections to the constructions above mentioned are the inability toobtain a homogeneous sheet metal sink or receptacle having nicelyrounded corners. the waste of material resulting from cutting theblanks, and the labor and time involved in preparing the edges ofthe'sheets before joining them. i

The objects of my invention include the provision of a sheet metal sinkor other receptacle having nicely rounded corners and formed preferablyfrom a strip or sheet of metal bent to provide two opposite verticalwalls of the receptacle and a dished portion with rounded cor ners, theother opposite walls being provided by two plain sheets of metal unitedin edge to edge relation with the edges of the first walls, and dishedbottom preferably by welding, and in such manner that all visible partsof the receptacle exhibit a smooth nicely finished surface whereby thefinished receptacle has the resemblance of a single homogeneous metalbody; second, the provision of a rimincluding portions formed along theextent of the upper edges of the sides integrally therewith andcompleted at the corners by specially constructed inserts in such amanner as to round off the corners of the rim in harmony with thecorners of the receptacle; third, the provision of a double tank orreceptacle embodying the features above mentioned; and finally,accomplishing the foregoing objects by utilizing a relatively smallamount of material, as I propose in many cases to use stainless steel ofappreciable thickness which is quite expensive.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent and will be pointed out during the course of thefollowing detailed description of the accompanying drawings in whichFig. 1 is a plan view of the sheet or blank from which the bottom andtwo forward opposite walls are formed;

, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a sink or tank embodying the inventionand showing fragments of the drain pipe and supporting legs;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 0 Fig. 2; i

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of a disc from which the corners of the rimare formed;

Fig. 5 is a view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing a modification wherein theskirt ofthe disc is turned inwardly;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 2;

, Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the sink or receptacle shownin Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a transverse central vertical sectional view through a doubletank constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the blank or sheet from which the bottom andtwo opposite vertical walls of the tank shown in Fig. 9 are formed;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the blank or sheet from which the centralpartition of the tank shown in Fig. 9 is formed; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of the partition andportion of the back and bottom.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is shown an elongatedrectangular sheet of metal divided by clot and dash lines a and b intothree panels designated by the numerals 1, 2 and 3. and constituting theback, bottom, and frontrespectively when the sheet is bent along thelines a and b to bring the panels 1 and 3 into substan tially parallelrelation with respect to each other and at right angles to the panel orbottom 2. The bending is done so as to curve the sheet where.

panels 1 and 3 joint the bottom. Panel 1 or the back is providedapproximately midway of its length, and in opposite side edges, withalined notches 4, the notches being curved on their top edges andstraight on their bottom edges for a purpose hereinafter pointed out.The portion of the panel 1 between the notches 4 and line b constitutesone wall of the receptacle, which in the embodiment shown is the back,and the portion above the notches 4 constitutes the splashboard to bedisposed adjacent the wall of a room when the washstand is completed andinstalled. The splash-board is provided with usual spigot or pipeopenings 5. It will be understood that it is not essential to thepractice of my invention to provide the splash-board and the same isshown only in connection with the sink structure in which form I haveillustrated the invention.

The sheet is also notched as indicated generally by the numeral 6 ateach corner of the bottom or panel 2, each of the notches being formedby cutting the edges of the material at points at the ends of the linesa and b along which the sheet is folded. Each notch 6 includes aprojection 7 at the corners of the bottom panel 2 and a recess 8,opposite the projection 7, and extending diagonally inward toward thecenter of the panel 2, and terminating at the dotted line 0, which is astraight line parallel to the side of the sheet between the inner end ofeach of the notches 4 and the inner end of a shoulder 9. The projections'7 terminate preferably at the lines a and b, and the tapering ends ofthe recesses 8 terminate at the line 0 as explained.

The shoulder 9 forms one side of a recess provided in each of the outercorners of the panel 3 at the ends of a reduced extension 10. Thus,there is provided on the panel 1 between notches 4, line 0, and notches8, portions or wings 11 which can be bent or curved upwardly from thesheet along the line 0. Similarly at opposite sides of the panel 2 orbottom there are provided between the recesses 8 and lines 0, portionsor wings 12, which can be bent or curved upwardly on the line 0, and onthe panel 3, portions or wings 13, between the shoulder 9, recesses ornotices 8, and line 0, which can be bent upwardly along the line 0. Whenthe panels 1 and 3 have been bent up along lines a and b and portions11, 12, and 13 have been bent upwardly on the lines c, to form curvedflanges on the panels 1, 2, and 3, the corners at notches 6 are alsobent or rounded so as to bring the projections 7 in the recesses 8 inedge to edge relation therewith. The resulting structure will be asshown in Fig. 8 wherein the bottom is dishedand has nicely roundedcorners. The panels 3 and 1 then form opposite walls of the sink, andthe portions 12 form shallow sides of the dished bottom. It will benoted that the side edges of the portions 11 and 13 face each other andare disposed at right angles to the free edge of the portion 12, andthat the said three portions form marginal portions of the sides of thesink at this stage of its formation.

To complete the sink the sides or rectangular sheets 14 of the samemetal, and of a length corresponding to the distance between the edgesof the portions 11 and 13 when in the position shown in Fig. 8, and of adepth corresponding substantially to the portions 11 and 13, except sofar as the provision of the rim hereinafter explained is concerned, isplaced with its side and bottom edges in face to face relation with theedges of the portions 11, 13 and 12 respectively, and is thenhomogeneously connected to the said portions,

preferably by welding. Both sides of the sink are completed in thismanner and the rounded corners with the projections '7 in recesses 8 arealso welded.

Reverting to Fig. 1, it will be noted that the extension 10 is ofappreciable length, whereby it may be curved or bent to the positionshown in Fig. 8 slightly above the shoulder 9 and curved outwardly anddownwardly therefrom at the outer face of the panel 3 or front of thesink. The sides 14 are similarly provided with curved rims 15 betweenthe edges of the portions 11 and 13. When the sides have been connectedas above explained, and the members 10 and 15 curved to the same degreeand shape to form similar rim portions, there will be spaces left at thetop corners of the sink which are filled by special inserts about to bedescribed in such a manner as to provide the rim also with nicelyrounded corners.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, there is shown an annular channeled sheetmetal body indicated generally by the numeral 20, and in Fig. 4, the dotand dash lines indicate the lines along which the member 20 would be cutto form four segments of equal size to fill in the corners of the rim.The inner wall 21 is spaced from the outer wall 22 the same distance asthe parts 10 and 15 are spaced from the plates 3 and 14 respectively,and the curvature of the top 23 is the same as the curvature of the rims10 and 15. The inner diameter of the member 20, that is, the distancebetween opposite points on the wall 21 is such that the bottom of wall21 of the segment will correspond in curvature and extent to theshoulder 9 which is located between the rim portions 10 and 15. Thebottom edge of the inner wall 21 is placed in face to face relation withthe shoulder 9 so that the top 23 will be flush with the curved part ofthe rim portions 10 and 15, and the skirt 22 will be flush with theouter part of the rim portions 10 and 15. Thus, the corners at the frontof the sink are filled in and the edges of the segments arehomogeneously welded to the side edges of the rim portions 10 and 15 atthe front of the sink.

In order to complete the corners at the back of the sink the same kindof segment is used with the bottom of the inner wall in face to facerelation with the bottom of the notch 4 which has been curved outwardlywhen the wing 11 was bent up. It has been previously mentioned that thetop of the notch 4 is curved for a particular purpose, and that purposeis to accommodate the curved part of the segment when the segment ispositioned as just described, and of course, the curvature of the top ofthe notch 4 should be the same as the curvature of the segment so thatthere will'be a snug engagement and neat appearance. The segment iswelded to the rear edge of the rim portion 15 and top of the notch 4 ateach side of the splash-board. In case no splash-board is desired or ifthe invention is to be practiced in connection with other receptacleshaving all sides of equal depth, the rear panel 1 would be made exactlythe same as front panel 3, and the segments would be secured at allcorners of the receptacle in exactly the same manner as described andshown for the front corners, as there would then be four rim portionsidentical with the portions 10 and 15. However, in the embodiment shownin Figs. 1-8 the splash-board is shown and is further provided with aflange 25 formed at its top to abut against the wall when the sink isinstalled. To close the space between the splashboard and wall I mayprovide the strips 26, which may be secured to the sides of thesplash-board in any desirable manner. The strips have curved lower ends27 to fit over the segment as indicated in Fig. '1.

In Figs. 9-12, I have illustrated how a sink or similar articleembodying the features hereinabove described may be constructed toafford two compartments. This may be accomplished by providing, as shownin Fig. 10,.a blank similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but of greater widthand having panels 1', 2, and 3' corresponding to the panels 1, 2, and 3of Fig. 1, and the notches 4 and 6' corresponding to the notches 4 and 6respectively of Fig. 1. The blank for the double sink is provided withan elongated slot or opening 30 extending centrally across the bottompanel 2' and partially across the back panel 1 and front panel 3'.Extensions or ears 31 are preferably provided at the ends of theslot 30.Obviously, when the front panel 3' and back panel 1' are bent up fromthe bottom as previously described, there will be an opening centrallyacross the bottom 2' provided by that portion of the slot 30, and alsoopenings or slots extending up the front and back panels provided by theextremities of the slot 30. The extensions 31 are bent out at rightangles to the panels 1' and 3' as shown in Fig. 12, it being understoodthat the extensions 31 are disposed on the interior of the receptaclesubstantially parallel to the bottom 2'. To close the openings providedin the panels 1, 2', and 3' by the slot 30, I provide the blank shown inFig. 11 and designated generally by the numeral 32. The corners of thisblank 32 are provided with notches 33 similar in construction to thenotches 6 and 6 and the blank is also provided with alined centrallydisposed plain notches 34 in its longest edges. The edges of the sheet32 are curved or bent up until the edges of the notches 33 meet as shownat 35 in Fig. 12, and the sheet 32 is bent upon itself along parallellines between the sides of the notches 34 to provide a top 36, Fig. 12,for the, partition. The side portions of the sheet which were curved orbent up are indicated at 37in Fig. 12, and the edges of these curvedportions are brought into face to face relation with the edges of theslot 30 and there welded as shown at 38 in Fig. 12. The ends of the wall36 meet the ends of the extensions 31 and the curved portions 37 aredisposed under the curved walls of the extensions 31 and the parts arealso welded at these points.

It will be. obvious from the above that the double receptacle is thusprovided from a minimum amount of material and in such a manner as toeffect a smooth and attractive appearance since the partition isidentical on both faces on each of which it has three curved sides tofit within the slot 30 so that each compartment has the same type ofrounded corners, as in the case a of a single receptacle.

In the case of a double receptacle, I may use the stri'ps 26 to closethe sides of the back of the receptacle where it meets the wall, and ofcourse the rim will be formed in the same manner as in the case of thesingle receptacle where a curved rim is desired. This is shown in Fig. 9where the rim is designated at the sides of the receptacle by thenumeral 40, it being understood that the front rim is provided by theportion on the blank shown in Fig. 10 between the notches at the frontcorners of the panel 3, the same as in the case of Figs. 1 and 8. Thecorners of the rim will be completed by the segments cut from theannular channel members, such as shown in Figs. 4-6.

Referring back to Fig. 6, it will be noted that the annular channelmember from which the corners of the receptacle are taken, has its outerwall bent inwardly instead of depending straight down as in Fig. 5. Inmany cases it is desirable to have the rim of the receptacle, whethersingle or double, curved inwardly in this man ner, and of course thecurvature and cross-sectional dimensions of the segments for the cornersmust correspond to the rim portions bent up on the panels forming thesides of the recepiacle. In each case the arc of the segment will bedetermined by the arc covering the distance between the adjacent ends ofthe rim portions on the sides.

I claim:

1. A sink or similar structure composed of sheet metal blanks one ofwhich includes three alined panels and the end panels being bent up fromthe intermediate panel whereby said panels form three walls of thestructure, said blank being notched at the corners of the intermediatepanel to provide marginal portions on each panel and said marginalportions being bent up at each side of the blank to form marginalportions of the other walls of the structure, the edges of said bent upportions on each side of the structure being in common planes, the endsof said marginal portions at said notches beingcurved to provide roundedcorners at the bottom of the structure, the edges of said notches beingwelded in face to face relation at said corners, and blanks completingsaid other walls, said last blanks having their edges in face to facerelation with edges of said marginal portions and welded thereto.

2. A sink or similar structure composed of sheet metal blanks, one blankincluding a panel to form the bottom of the sink and end panels to formtwo opposite side walls of the structure, and said blank being providedwith notches in its edges at the corners of the bottom panel, saidnotches providing .each of said panels with marginal portions bent so asto form side and bottom marginal portions of the other two side walls ofthe structure, said other walls being completed by blanks united in edgeto edge relation with said marginal portions, and said notches taperingtoward the center of the bottom panel and defining the ends of saidmarginal portions, said ends being curved to bring the edges of thenotches into face to face relation to provide the structure with roundedcorners at the bottom of the structure.

3. A sink or similar structure composed of sheet metal blanks, one blankincluding a panel to form the bottom of the sink and end panels to formtwo opposite side walls of the structure, and said blank being providedwith notches in its edges at the corners of the bottom panel, saidnotches providing each of said panels with marginal portions bent so asto form curved corners integral with said blank, blanks united in edgeto edge relation with said marginal portions, the upper ends of saidblanks and at least one of said other walls being curved tosubstantially the same extent and degree to provide channeled rimportions on the side walls between the tops of said curved corners, andchanneled segments united in edge to-edge relation with the tops of saidextensions and ends of the rim portions to provide rounded corners onthe rim.

4. A sheet metal sink comprising a bottom and four side walls connectedby arcuate strips forming roundedcorners, the upper ends of these wallsbeing curved to form rim portions terminating adjacent the roundedcorners. and a splash-board above the fourth wall and joined thereto,arcuate segments inserted at the tops of the arcuate strips to providerounded corners on the rim, and notches in the side edges of thesplash-board formed and proportioned to receive the segments at thosecorners and to fit snugly against a portion of the tops of saidsegments.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said first blank is provided with aslot extending across the bottom panel and partially up said oppositesides, and a rectangular sheet is bent upon itself to provide spacedwalls each provided with marginal wings curved outwardly and united attheir edges in face to face relation with the edges of the slot todivide the structure into similar compartments.

6. The method of constructing a sink or similar structure from sheetmetal which comprises cutting notches in opposite side edges of arectangular blank to form marginal wings along said edges, bending theblank along parallel lines extending transversely across the blankthrough opposite pairs of notches and between opposite wings to formthree walls of the structure each provided with marginal wings atopposite sides, curving the wings along lines parallel to the sides ofeach of said walls and at the inner ends of the notches, bending theends of adjacent wings at said notches toward each other to bring theedges of the notches together to form rounded corners integral with saidblank, positioning blanks with their edges in face to face relation withthe edges of the curved wings, and welding the abutting edges of theblanks, wings and notches.

7. The method of constructing a polygonal sheet metal sink or similarstructure with a rim having rounded corners which comprises connectingthe side walls of the structure with arcuate members substantially flushwith the surfaces of the walls, curving the tops of the walls betweenthe arcuate members upwardly, outwardly and downwardly, insertingsegments of a channeled annulus at the corners with their edges in faceto face relation with the top edges of the arcuate members and end edgesof the curved tops of the walls, and homogeneously connecting thesegments to said edges in said position.

8. The method of making a sheet metal sink or similar structure havingan outwardly curved rim and rounded corners, which consists inassembling separate wall members of the structure in abutting relation,with the opposite edges of two of the opposed wall members curvedinwardly and the rim portions curved outwardly, and portions of the rimon at least one of said wall members being cut away at the points wherethe rounded corners are to be formed, inserting a rounded channeledsegment in each of the spaces formed by the said cut-away portions, withthe opposite edges of each segment in abutting rela tion with the edgesof its companion wall members, and welding all the joints between theseveral members to provide a unitary structure.

9. A sheet metal sink having a bottom and four walls connected byrounded corners, a partition plate between two of said walls, said platebeing bent upon itself and having curved marginal portions on oppositefaces contacting said bottom and opposite walls and forming roundedcorners between said partition, bottom and walls on both sides of thepartition.

10. A sheet metal sink having a bottom and four walls connected byrounded corners. a partition plate between two of said walls, said platebeing bent upon itself and having curved marginal portions on oppositefaces contacting said bottom and opposite walls and forming roundedcorners between said partition, bottom and walls on both sides of thepartition, said marginal portions of the partition being welded to saidbottom and opposite walls.

11. A'sheet metal sink or similar structure having acurled rim withrounded corners, comprising a blank bent intermediate its ends to formthe bottom and two opposed side walls of the structure, the oppositeedges of said blank being notched to provide inturned and curved flangesat opposite sides of the blank. the edges of which lie in the sameplane, the upper edge of one of said walls being curled outwardly anddownwardly to provide a rounded rim, said rim portion being of lesswidth than the maximum width of said wall, and separate sheet metal sidewalls each having its edges positioned in alinement with the edges ofsaid inturned flanges and welded thereto, and each of said side wallshaving its upper edge curved upwardly, outwardly and downwardly, saidwalls when assembled leaving gaps at the upper corners of the structure.and a channeled filler fitted and welded in each of said gaps. eachfiller consisting of a segment of a channeled annulus.

12. The structure of claim 11 wherein there is a splash board extendingabove the rear wall and provided in opposite sides with notchesreceiving the fillers at the rear upper corners of the structure, theupper edge of said fillers snugly engaging the upper edges of saidnotches.

.13. The method herein described of forming a sheet metal sink orsimilar structure with rounded corners and a curled rim, which consistsin forming the bottom and side walls of the structure of sheet metalsections. the edges of which are bent and positioned in abuttingrelation and welded together, and the upper edges of which are curledoutwardly and downwardly, leaving gaps at the corners of the structureat its rim, and filling the said corner gaps each with a segment cutfrom a previously formed channeled sheet metal annulus, positioning oneof said segments in each of said gaps with its edges in alinement withthe edges of said outwardly curled rim portions of the side walls of thestructure at said corner gaps, and then welding the segments in positionto provide a symmetrical curled rim with rounded corners.

14. A sheet metal sink having a bottom and four walls connected theretoby rounded corners, a partition between two of said walls dividing thesink into two compartments, said partition con- Lit? sisting of opposedparallel walls. each having outwardly curved marginal portionscontacting and welded to said bottom and opposed walls of the sink andforming rounded corners between said partition, bottom and sink walls onboth sides of 4 the partition.

SAUL BLICKMAN.

